If Naruko Had Appeared (New)
by ObsessedAlina
Summary: He's a boy shunned by the village he calls home. She's something out of this world who felt nothing but love for him since she laid eyes on him. So much love, she was prompted to risk her life for his sake. But was that the right choice? Faced with enemies of frightening power, what effect will her arrival have on the world?
1. Dictionary

**A romaji/phonetic** **Japanese** **dictionary! ('Cause I'll be using it a lot) Check back for updates!**

 _Aishiteru_ means ' _I_ _love you_ '

 _Anata_ means ' _Y_ _ou / Dear_ '

 _Ano_ means ' _Um..._ '

 _Anohito_ means ' _He / She / That person_ '

 _Arigatō_ means ' _Thank you_ '

 _Baka_ means ' _Idiot / Fool_ '

 _Boku_ means ' _My / I_ '

 _Buta_ means ' _Pig_ '

 _Chigau_ means ' _Wrong / That's not right_ '

 _Chikushou_ means ' _Damn_ '

 _Dewa_ means ' _We_ _ll then_ '

 _Etto_ means ' _Err... / Um..._ '

 _Gomen_ means ' _Sorry_ '

 _Hai_ means ' _Y_ _es_ '

 _Hajimemashite_ means ' _Nice to meet you_ '

 _Iē_ means ' _No_ '

 _Kimitachi_ means ' _Yo_ _u all_ '

 _Kinisuruna_ means ' _D_ _on't worry_ '

 _Kisama_ means ' _You bastard_ '

 _Kuso_ alsomeans ' _Damn / Bullshit_ '

 _Matte_ means ' _Wait_ '

 _Mokuton_ means ' _W_ _ood Release / Wood Style_ '

 _Mou_ meaning ' _Ag_ _ain? / Seriously..._ '

 _Nani_ means ' _What?_ '

 _Ninmu_ means ' _Mission_ '

 _Nisemono_ means ' _Imposter_ '

 _Ochitsuke_ means ' _Relax / Chill out_ '

 _Oyasumi_ means 'G _ood night_ '

 _Saa_ means ' _Well / Come on now_ '

 _Shimatta_ means ' _Damn it!_ '

 _Shishou_ means ' _Teacher_ '

 _Soko_ means ' _H_ _ere / There_ '

 _Sore_ means ' _That's..._ '

 _Suiton_ means ' _Water Release / Water Style_ '

 _Tatakai_ means ' _Fight_ '

 _Temae_ also means 'Y _ou bastard... /_

 _Uso_ means ' _Lie_ '

 _Usotsuki_ means ' _Liar_ '

 _Yameru_ means ' _Stop / Cease_ '

 _Yoroshiku ne_ means ' _Take care of me / Think well of me_ ' in literal Japanese, but the English equivalent is really ' _L_ _et's get along / A pleasure to meet you_ '


	2. Wish

_C_ _hapter 1_ _–_ _Wish_

( **3rd Person POV** )

It was a cool night in Konohagakure; the transition of the seasons finally beginning to manifest in the weather. Summer was slowly turning into Autumn and with Autumn came chilly winds.

A young boy with nothing but a white t-shirt, orange shorts and black sandals walked down a street. His name was Uzumaki Naruto.

As he walked down the street, he looked at each cart, store and stall in awe. The lights, the decorations, the food... As amazing as they all were, they weren't what had his attention. In actuality, it was the people.

He felt an inexplicable warmth when he saw people laughing and chatting together. Adults would jokingly fight with one another and talk loudly, allowing him to hear bits and snippets of their conversations: it was a warmth he enjoyed.

 _And a warmth he would never feel_ , he thought to himself. He continued on the path he had been walking, dragging his feet with each step. And slowly but surely, the people began to notice him. They moved to the side, giving him room as their faces took on expressions of pure disgust. Others jeered and pointed, elbowing friends and family members, saying, "Look! It's that kid!"

Naruto tried to block this out. After all, it was nothing new. They always acted like this when he was around, treating him like he was some kind of monster even though he had never done anything wrong.

Something red caught his eye and he turned to look: hanging on the wall of a market stall was a red and white fox mask. It spoke to him for some reason, so he reached out for it.

"You want this?" The stall owner's voice was kind when he saw a kid's hand. But as soon as Naruto's face came into view, all traces of kindness disappeared.

"It's you!" He startled Naruto with a shout, "What do you want?!"

Following Naruto's gaze, he picked and ripped the mask off the wall, throwing it at Naruto, "You've got it, now leave!"

Bending over to pick up the mask, Naruto saw that a crowd had once again formed. He clutched the mask tightly in his right hand, his fingers digging into it. "I'LL SHOW YOU ALL!" He yelled, "I'M GOING TO BECOME HOKAGE AND THEN YOU'LL SEE!"

As soon as he finished screaming, he turned on his heel and ran up the hill, trying and failing to ignore the dozens of eyes that were on him.

"Become Hokage?" One spectator said after Naruto was long gone.

"Leave him." Another scoffed, "It's just his nonsensical rambling."

"That monster our Hokage? Kami forbid it."

Up on the hill, Naruto walked over to his tree swing. It was originally made for any and all children, but once a mother had spotted him sitting in it, she pressed her lips together and told her daughter it was time to leave. From that day forward, it was abandoned. A deserted throne for the deserted prince.

Sitting down, he let out a sigh and lifted the mask up to inspect it. There were nails marks on its right cheek, where he had tightly clutched it.

"It's worthless now!" He threw it as far as he could, his eyes tearing up, "Just like me."

Using his right fist, he wiped his eyes and sniffed, "No! That's what they want me to think. But I'm going to become Hokage. Then they'll treat me like I'm somebody."

Usually, when he said that to himself, it cleared his mind of any sad thoughts and calmed down. At this moment though, he developed the urge to pray. It came out of the blue, like a sudden sugar craving.

Since no one had ever bothered to teach him anything, Naruto didn't really know how to pray. He knew Kami was an all-powerful being, but he didn't know the facts, so he started his prayer like it was a regular conversation.

"Uh, hey there Kami-sama," He cleared his throat, "You've probably got more important prayers to answer other than mine. Kids starving, people dying, disease and stuff."

He paused to take a deep breath and then said, "I shouldn't be complaining right? I have clothes on my back and I never go to bed hungry. But, if I were to go hungry for the rest of my life, I wouldn't even care. I just want somebody to love me."

The tears were flowing unhindered but Naruto didn't care. He kept his hands folded, pressed tightly in his lap in and sniffed, " _Please Kami, please..._ "

* * *

She was bored. Nothing ever happened up in Heaven. Sure, there were some cool dead people and it was fun to watch them interact. But how many times can you see the same thing without getting sick of it? Same old arm wrestling matches. Same old jokes. She had heard the same stories over and over.

 _It's much more fun when you're alive_ , she thought to herself. Then she heard it; the sound of a crying child.

All of them seemed to hear it, except for the deceased. They were created to do that, with their senses tweaked to the maximum. The Watchers. They gathered around a clear pond, which they referred to as the _Looking Well_. It allowed them to see anywhere on Earth.

She crouched in front of it, staring at the image before her. It was a young blonde boy in Japan. He was sitting on a swing, held by rope connected to a sturdy tree branch.

"What's he saying?" She asked.

"He's lonely." One of the others whispered an answer, rolling his eyes.

"Pffft, big deal." Another one brushed him aside, "There are kids dying right now. He'll survive."

"I don't know..." She stood up, "I think I'm gonna go help him."

"You can't leave without permission!" They called after her, "You'll get in trouble!"

"I'm just going to cheer him up." She justified her actions, jumping down into the Looking Well.

She kept herself hidden until she was directly in front of him.

"Why do they all look at me like that?" He covered his face with his hands, tears and mucus running down his face. "Why does everyone hate me?"

"You did nothing wrong," She assured him, removing his hands from his face, "Trust me."

"T-Then why do they h-hate me?" He sucked in sharp breaths in an effort to calm down.

"They hate what they do not understand." She handed him a handkerchief, "Dry your tears child."

He took the handkerchief thankfully and wiped his eyes before blowing his nose. He was too surprised at her kindness to notice that she had given him the handkerchief out of nowhere.

"Better?" She asked him tenderly.

"Yes." He nodded slowly, biting his lip to refrain from saying something. She hadn't told him to scram but he didn't want to risk losing her by saying something dumb.

"What is it?" She tilted her head to the side, although she already knew what he was thinking.

His voice was barely above a whisper as he made his painful request, "Can you stay with me?"

Her eyes softened and she took his hands in hers, "As much as I want to, I can't."

"That's okay," He replied, hope fading, "You might get a bad reputation too." She knew who he was, how the villagers hated him. Being seen with him would only make her susceptible to rumors.

"That is _not_ what I'm talking about!" She pursed her lips, "Naruto, there are some things that can't be explained."

He said nothing, caught up in his own thoughts. She reached for his hand, "Let me walk you home."

Unintentionally, when he grabbed her hand he held it with such firmness, as if letting go would mean the end of his life.

Based on this, she knew no one had ever offered a hand to him. The thought of this bothered her deeply, but she said nothing, not wanting to risk anymore heartache for him. They walked down the hill in silence, Naruto dreading their arrival at his home with each step.

But, his home was not that far from the swing. Soon, they were in front of his door, and they stood there quietly, neither making a motion to speak.

She finally broke the silence, "You should go in."

"I shoould." He didn't try to move.

"Look," She stooped down to his height, forcing eye contact, "Naruto, I don't care what anyone tells you; don't you ever doubt that you are a star."

He nodded his head, silent.

"Good." She kissed his forehead, "Now get inside and sleep."

He pushed the door open and looked back at her, "Do you really have to go?"

"Sorry. That's just how things are."

"Well...goodbye." He closed the door slowly in an effort to preserve and store the image of the only person to show him genuine kindness.

Of course, her appearance and any memories of her would be erased, but still, he had a happy thought to sleep on.

As soon as the door clicked shut, she floated back up, climbed through the Looking Well and look around. The other Watchers had dispersed, probably uninterested in her findings.

"What do you think of him?"

The voice made her jump and she quickly turned around, "Yahiko! What are you doing by the Well?"

He was wearing a white kimono along with golden sandals and a gold sash tied around his waist kept the kimono in place. He had a lecherous grin on his face, his blue eyes shining as he walked over to her.

"I heard a commotion going on by the Looking Well and when I saw you weren't around, I figured you'd jumped through," He flicked her in the forehead with his middle finger, "Was it worth it?"

"I didn't go there to goof off," She rubbed her forehead, "If anything, I feel like killing those villagers."

"Don't let Hashirama-san hear that." Yahiko chuckled, "Or Kami-sama."

She shook her head, "The village he built isn't the same as the current one. That poor kid, all alone in a place of that size..."

Yahiko crossed his arms, "You could stay with him."

She snorted, "And get myself erased from existence? No thanks."

"Not the way I know it." Yahiko motioned for her to come closer and when she obeyed, he looked around.

None of the dead paid attention to them so he continued, "You'd lose all of knowledge of what goes on up here and be sent to Earth as a regular human."

"You're forgetting something; Kami-sama knows all, sees all and hears all. Besides, where did you learn this?" She questioned, putting her hands on her hips.

"I have my sources." Yahiko put a finger to his lips, smiling lightly, "Besides, Kami-sama likes to help children. They're innocent. But that's not important right now. Are you in or out?"

She pursed her lips and glanced back at the Looking Well, still focused on Naruto. Even while sleeping, he looked lonely. Just the thought of being able to make him smile and drown him in love and compassion made her decision clear.

"I'm in." She turned back to Yahiko, a look of determination burning in her eyes.

"Alright, but first you have to get a human name. Then I'll handle the rest." He pinched his chin, "How about...Naruko?"

She frowned, "My name is Thunder Storm?"

"It rhymes with Naruto, okay?" Yahiko threw his hands up, "If you've got a better one, then go for it."

"Fine. But _only_ because it rhymes with Naruto."

Yahiko clapped his hands together, "Now your appearance. Change...that." He waved his hand at her.

"You're seriously trying to pick a fight with me?" She put her hands on hips, "You shouldn't even be talking about looks. With your-"

"Just joking around!" He cut her off, "Jeez!"

She rolled her eyes, "Yeah, okay."

"Back to the subject," He reminded her, "I'm thinking blonde hair and blue eyes. If your names are gonna rhyme, you might as well look alike."

"Fair enough. Anything else?" She didn't bother to hide the growing impatience in her voice.

"Clothes. Unless you want to show up stark naked." Yahiko raised an eyebrow.

"I'll just conjure something up for myself when I get there." She waved her hand.

He face palmed, "You're not listening to me. Once you're there, you won't remember _anything_ about here! You won't remember you have powers, you won't remember me, you're going to be a normal human with only one thought in your mind and that is to take care of Naruto."

"Oh," She realized how serious this deal was, "I guess I'll just wear some clothes now."

"Wise decision," He nodded, "Are you still up for it? You don't have to~"

"Screw that. I'm going to give that boy the love he deserves." A layer of thick fog surrounded her and once it cleared, she was wearing an orange shirt, black shorts and standard blue sandals.

"How do I look?" She turned to face Yahiko.

"You look...normal," Yahiko smiled, "Get down there and help that boy, **Naruko**."

She smiled, "I will! And you'd _b_ _etter_ _not_ interfere."

He threw his hands up, "Listen, if you're in a tight pinch, I might throw in some guidance, but other than that, I won't do a thing."

"Promise?" Naruko held out her hand.

"Promise." Yahiko clasped it tightly, verifying their deal, "Alright, now get out there and make that boy feel loved."

* * *

( **Unknown POV** )

"Who's there." I called over my shoulder without looking back.

"Relax, it's me." Kidōmaru stepped out from the shadows, shuddering as he rubbed his shoulders, "Geez, how can you stay out here? It's freezing."

"I like it that way." I replied, closing my eyes, "Keeps me alert and awake."

"Yeah, whatever." Kidōmaru sighed, "You know once Orochimaru makes you our leader, you won't have the freedom to do this."

I smirked, "I wonder. The only reason I'm still here with you is because I want to be. Don't forget that."

"Whatever you say Ryuu, whatever you say." He waved my words away as he went back into the hideout.

I continued to stare into nothing, lost in my thoughts. It had been three months since I had arrived in this world and yet it felt like years.

When I had first landed, I had been reduced to such a weak form, I couldn't move for days. On top of that, this body needed earthly things to survive. Just as I thought I would die from starvation and thirst, that snake man stumbled upon me and offered to help me, in the event that I stay with him for a year. I quickly agreed at the time, wanting nothing more than to be fed, but now I was regretting my decision.

"I should've just died!" I said to myself as I tightened my fist.

A red light began to surround it and I stood up as I searched for a tree tall enough to throw at it. Once my eyes landed on one about ten meters away, I threw the light in its direction.

Sitting down once more, I sucked my teeth, "Tch. I didn't even bring it down. He's telling me I'm making progress, but that's not enough. Maybe I should just~"

A sinking feeling hit my stomach and I hunched over, clutching it to try and steady myself, to no avail. ' _This feeling...I've felt it before!_ '

It was the same feeling I had experienced when falling from the heavens three months ago. I had thought it was the pain of being morphed to a lower life form, but clearly it couldn't be.

"Oi!" I called as I struggled to get into the hideout, "Where's that bastard Orochimaru? Tell him to come quick!"

"What, what?" Kidōmaru came out to meet me, at first nonchalant with his hands on his head, but as soon as we made eye contact, he straightened up, "What is it?"

"I think another angel has fallen."

"Kami almighty," Kidōmaru muttered, "Not another one."

I ignored him and continued before another wave hit me and I feel to my knees.

"Don't die on me." Kidōmaru kneeled, helping me to my feet by slinging one of my arms over his shoulder, "Otherwise I won't hear the end of it from Kimimaro."

"Trust me, I won't die." I assured him as I allowed him to support some of my weight, "This is just what I've been wishing for. A reason to get out of here!"


	3. Pinky Promise

_Chapter 2_ _– Pinky_ _Promise_

( **3rd Person POV** )

" _I just want somebody to love me. Please Kami, please..._ "

She woke with a start, sitting up right and finding herself under a large group of trees. Dusting herself off as I she got off the ground, her head immediately straightened as she seemed to recall something.

"Uzumaki...Naruto." She murmured to herself in a sleepy-state, "Must find him." With that, she turned and began to walk away.

* * *

Naruto was woken up by the hollow sound of someone knocking on his door. Knowing that he was despised by every citizen in the village, he grabbed a chopstick off the wooden table and tightened his left hand around it. If he was going to be attacked, he might as well put up a good fight.

Flinging the door up, he jabbed at the entity before him. The chopstick was quickly snatched out of his hand and tossed aside.

"Relax," The 5-foot 3-girl in front of him said while shaking her head, "You could have really hurt someone!"

He stared at the blonde, eyeing her suspiciously, "Who are you?"

"My name is Naruko," She smiled, "And I'm here to take care of you."

"Take care of me?" He scowled, "Why? No one in this town's ever cared enough to look after me."

"Well, my name isn't no one so I think I'm excluded from that generalization." Naruko titled her head, slightly frowning.

"Why are you even doing this? 'Cause you feel sorry for me?" Naruto barked, "I don't need your pity, ttebayo!"

"Shh," She put a finger to her lips, "Not so loud, for Kami's sake!"

Looking around, she made sure that no one had been aroused by his yelling.

When she was sure that no one had been disturbed, she turned back to him, "Why don't we talk inside?"

"Are you sure you want to?" He muttered, "It's a mess."

She shrugged, not discouraged by his confession, "I'm not that neat myself."

With a frown, he begrudgingly pushed the door open and stepped aside, "Come in; but don't say I didn't warn you."

"Thank you."

Once inside, she discovered a place going above and beyond what her imagination could've come up with.

A line from above the window ran across the room to a door which, when she opened it, was a cramped bathroom. Under the window against the wall was a small blue bed littered with clothes. In the middle of the room was a small table that eight people, maximum, could sit around if they squeezed in.

Insta-Ramen packets layered the floor like a carpet and it was then she noticed the fridge hiding in the right corner of the room.

"You weren't kidding," She whistled, "This place _is_ a mess."

"Told you," Naruto kicked a shirt out of the way, "Now, like I asked before, what do you want from me?"

She looked back to him, "I told you already; I want to take care of you."

"Are you getting paid for this?"

"I'm not getting paid to do anything," She answered firmly, starting to get a bit annoyed, "I'm doing this out of the kindness in my heart."

"The kindness in your heart," He repeated her words with a hidden venom and she knew she had spoken carelessly, "Hm."

"Look, I didn't mean~" She cut herself off by sighing, "Naruto, I know how the people of this town have treated you and it's outrageous. I thought that if you had someone by your side, they'd think twice about saying something to you."

"You're not an adult," He pointed out, "I'm 6 and you look like you're a few years older than me."

"You're right." She nodded, "I'm 13, but that's not the point."

"Adults won't listen to you."

"Let's walk around Konoha." Naruko clapped her hands together, almost at her wits end, "If, by the end of the day, you still think I haven't made a difference, you can forget about all of this. I'll be out of your hair and out of your life. Okay?"

Naruto pursed his lips, "Alright. But I'm not going to change my mind."

"Awesome!" She laughed, "Now, why don't we go get something to eat?"

* * *

( **Naruto's POV** )

' _Why am I even following this lady?_ ' I wondered to myself as I looked at her back.

Her name's Naruko and _supposedly_ , she wants to take care of me because she doesn't like the way I'm being treated. This such a blatant lie because:

1\. She's thirteen. What is she doing looking after me?

2\. She's thirteen.

3\. SHE'S THIRTEEN!

' _She doesn't even have money to take care of us._ ' I nodded to myself, ' _She just wants to see the freak everyone hates and play a joke on him._ '

"Do you eat fish Naruto?" Her voice jolted me out of my thoughts.

I nodded, "Anything that's edible, I'll pretty much eat."

"Okay." Naruko smiled, "You stay right here and I'm going to get us two sticks of fish."

I watched her walk off into the crowd and leaned against a pole. My back hadn't even relaxed against it before I felt myself get tugged up by my collar.

"What are you doing here brat?" A gruff male voice coughed out the question.

"I'm~"

"Here to cause trouble?" He cut me off, throwing me into the counter of a food stall.

I rubbed the back of my head, resisting the urge to cry as I got up.

"Get out of here." The man came closer, "Can't you tell no one wants you around?"

I bit my tongue in an effort to silence the sassy remark I had thought of. But I couldn't.

"Can't you see I wasn't bothering anyone?" I stared him down.

"What'd you say?" He pulled back his right fist and I shut my eyes tightly, preparing for the hard hit.

But it never came.

Slowly, I opened my eyes and my mouth immediately dropped open: Naruko was holding the man's arm back with a very scary expression on her face.

"What do you think you're doing, girl?" The man roared as he tried to push her off.

She held on, and from where I was standing, it looked like she had tightened her grip.

"You like hitting children?" She questioned, tilting her head to the right as she pulled him close, "No? Then why are you attacking him?"

"He's not a kid! He's a~"

"Brat? Nuisance? Reject?" I cringed with each insult. It was if she had found a way to make them even worse than usual.

The man stepped back, now trying to tug his arm free, "I didn't~"

"Do you have children?" She cut him off, not having any of his excuses.

He nodded his head, as if he had no voice. A crowd had gathered around us now, each man and woman as quiet as a tree, listening intently.

"If you heard that your child was being called these names, wouldn't you do something about it?" Naruko put her hands on her hips.

He cleared his throat, "I would."

"Well," She put her hand on my head gently, "Naruto may not be my son. In fact, he's my brother, and I am not going to put up with any of that. You wanna get to him, you'll have to go through me."

She turned to the crowd that had gathered, "That goes for all of you. Let me hear about Naruto being picked on again, you'll see! If I don't burn down your shops, my name isn't Uzumaki Naruko! Now scram!"

* * *

( **3rd Person POV** )

Quickly, the crowd dispersed, whispering among themselves as others rushed to get out of the hot-headed teenager's way. Meanwhile, a hunched figure sat watching her from the shadows.

Two young boys wearing strange masks and dark shinobi gear emerged from the ground behind him, both kneeling as they came up.

"You summoned us, Danzo-sama?" The silver-white haired boy asked, bowing respectfully.

Danzo turned around to face the two of them, "Kakashi, Tenzo, good, you responded quickly. I have a mission for the two of you; come here." He beckoned to them.

They stepped forward immediately and he moved aside, "Do you see the blonde haired girl with the Jinchūriki?"

"Yes sir." They said at the same time, "She looks just like him."

"You're both very observant." Danzo nodded his head, "I've learned, due to her loud proclamation, that she refers to herself as Naruko but I know for a fact there is no record of a Naruko in Konoha. This can mean two things."

"Either she was born and undocumented," He continued, "Or she is an enemy ninja, posing as a friendly young girl, only to steal the Kyuubi and do Rikudo knows what."

"Should we eliminate her?" Kakashi questioned, reaching for his sword.

"Patience." Danzo raised his hand, "There needs to be proof, otherwise Hiruzen will refer to it as a senseless killing. Therefore, you two must observe her; twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week. You can figure out how this will be done on your own time. I just need to know, are you two up for the task?"

Kakashi and Tenzo looked at each other and even though their masks were on, they seemed to come to a silent agreement. The two turned back to Danzo.

"We will observe her to the fullest, Danzo-sama." Kakashi and Tenzo agreed.

"Good." Danzo opened his right eye, "You two are doing this for the safety of Konoha. Once we expose her, you'll be know as heroes, I'll make sure of it."

"Yes Sir." Kakashi and Tenzo raised their heads.

"Now go." Danzo waved his hand, "Figure out who will watch her when and carry it out. I want the both of you to start tomorrow morning, if possible."

The two were swallowed up by the ground once more, leaving Danzo to keep watching the female Uzumaki.

* * *

The hairs on the back of Naruko's neck tingled as she turned her head, expecting to catch someone staring at her. Her instinct was right: there was someone was staring, just not at her.

Through the crowd, she was able to spot a young boy with raven hair, styled like a duck's behind, looking right at Naruto with such ferociousness, she was afraid he'd walk up to Naruto and punch him.

"Hey, Naruto." Naruko tapped, "Don't make any sudden movements and act calm, alright?"

"Okay..." Naruto looked up from his fish, "What is it?"

"Do you know that boy?" She made him face the child discreetly.

Naruto nearly dropped his fish, "That's Uchiha Sasuke!"

"Sasuke?" She tilted her head and looked at him, "Are you two buddies?"

"Buddies?" He patted his chest, choking on a piece of fish, "Never! He's always beaten me when Iruka Sensei makes us spar. We'll never be buddies, until I crush him."

"Whoa there!" She raised a hand, "Why crush him? Can't you just defeat him?"

"Defeat, crush. Same thing." He shrugged, "Why is he here though?"

She chuckled, "Maybe that's why he's looking at you. He's wondering the same thing."

A chill went down her spine and she knew it was not Sasuke who had triggered her senses. Craning her head from left to right, she searched for the source of uncomfort. Her eyes landed on a green and red cat mask worn by a boy roughly her age with brown hair.

She stared until her eyes hurt and forced her to blink. When she managed to keep her eyes from tearing up and returned them to the spot the boy had been, she struggled to keep her mouth closed.

He was gone.

"What the heck...?" Naruko muttered to herself.

"Hm?" Naruto looked up at her, "What's wrong?"

"Nothing, I just thought I saw...never mind." She shook her head, "Want some more fish?"

"Mm..." He looked at the ground, twiddling his thumbs, "Actually..."

She crouched down, "What is it? You can tell me."

"I was wondering if we could go to Ichiraku's Ramen Shop." He admitted.

"Why not?" She grabbed his hand, swinging it back and forth as they started walking, "I told you, I'm here for you."

"Yeah..." He quietly trailed off, finishing his fish and looking down at the ground.

The walk to the ramen shop was quiet, and although Naruko could have easily started a conversation, she could tell Naruto was not in the mood to talk.

The boy was lost in thought, wondering if this girl was really all she seemed to be. Someone in this village who cared for his well-being and genuinely didn't hate him? The only two people he'd ever considered as friends or family were the Sandaime and Iruka Sensei. She had to be playing a prank on him, this was too good to be true.

Still, when she had stood up for him against one of those hateful villagers, he couldn't help but feel thankful and happy that she was there.

He was conflicted; trust this mysterious girl and end up being fooled? Or push away the one person who had looked at him kindly.

"We're here!" Naruko announced as she walked through the flaps of the store.

Naruto climbed onto a stool next to her and looked at her through the side of his eye.

"Naruto!" Teuchi greeted him, "How's my favorite customer doing?" Then he noticed Naruko, "Sorry Miss, what would you like?"

Naruko waved her hand, "I'll have whatever he's having."

"Ano, let me get miso ramen with extra pork and fish cakes. Oh, and hold the menma." He ordered very casually.

Naruko whistled, "Very specific, it must taste good."

"Heh heh, it's just what I'm used to eating..." He scratched the side of his face with one finger, a bit of blush coming to his cheeks.

"I'll trust your judgement." Naruko reached out for the bowl Ayame brought to her, "Arigatō Gozaimasu!"

"No problem." Ayame said, going back behind the scenes.

Naruto was about to dig into his ramen, chopsticks moving at light speed towards the noodles, when Naruko stopped him.

"Is something wrong?" He asked her, a little annoyed she had stopped him from pouncing on his favorite dish.

"We have to pray first." She informed him, "Like this: you hold your hands together and give Kami-sama thanks."

A confused look spread on his face, "Thank Kami-sama? For what?"

"For the food. For its nutrition. For giving you life and for making sure you digest this properly." She flicked him in the forehead, "That's why we thank Kami-sama."

He rubbed the spot where she had hit him, "Jeez Nee-chan, who taught you all this?"

"I was taught by..." When trying to remember where she had learned this from, Naruko drew a blank, " _Who taught me this?_ Weird, I can't remember. Anyway, I'll pray for us so just say amen when I do."

"Okay." Naruto nodded, holding his hands together like she was doing and closed his eyes firmly.

"Dear Kami," She started, "Thank you for this exceptional ramen. We hope that you will bless this food, as well as us, so that we may continue to live on your Earth. Amen."

"Amen." Naruto repeated after her.

She smiled at him, "Now we can eat! Itadakimasu~!"

"Itadakimasu..." He said less enthusiastically than she had expected, but she didn't press him on it, suspecting it had something to do with the deal made in the morning.

"Whoa!" Naruko dropped her chopsticks back in the bowl, fanning her cheeks, "This is hot! Really hot! But it tastes good!"

He laughed, "I've always liked food nice and hot. Cold food is just, bleh." He made a face.

She smiled, "I'm glad I learned something else about you."

They ate in silence for a bit.

Finally, Naruko set her chopsticks over her bowl, indicating she was finished. "It's quarter to five. What else would you like to do?"

He thought long and hard, racking his brain for something he had always wanted to do with a companion. All this time he had been alone, wanting someone to talk to and now that there was such an individual, he had nothing to do? No, that couldn't be. He just had to think...

Snapping his fingers, it came to him, "Can we go to the playground?"

Taking out a couple bills, she placed it on the table and stood up, "Let's get going then." She grinned widely, but Naruto noticed there was something different in her expression. Something...sadder. Was she forcing herself for his sake? Why would she do that?

Shaking his head, he got up and took the lead. It was just his imagination, she seemed like a very strong person. If something was bothering her, she would've told him. And that's what she did. It was on the way to the park that she stopped behind him.

"Nee-chan?" He called, looking back at her, "What's wrong?"

"I'm sorry Naruto, looks like I have to go." She said sadly.

His heart stopped, "You're leaving? Why?"

"We made a deal that if you changed your mind by the end of the day, I would stay." Naruko reminded him, "I guess you still don't trust me." She turned around, "Come on, I'll walk you back home before I leave."

"No, I do trust you!" He hugged her from behind, "I-I didn't want to at first, because I thought it was all a trick. But now I know it was for real. Please, please stay here with me, Nee-chan."

She escaped his hug only to turn back and wrap him up in another, "You dummy, of course I'll stay with you."

"And you'll never leave me?" Naruto looked up at her, "No matter what?"

"I won't." She ruffled his hair.

"Pinky promise?" His little voice was too cute for her to handle, along with this small finger.

"Pinky promise." Naruko locked pinkies with him, "I'll stay by your side as long as you need me."

* * *

( **Ryuu's POV** )

I laughed to myself as I twirled the kunai in my hand, "How cute. A pinky promise for the child."

Stabbing the kunai into the wooden table, I got up and ascended the staircase that led to the outside of the hideout. I then walked for a few minutes before coming to a river.

Stooping down, I grabbed some water into my hands and splashed it onto my face. As the water dripped back into the large stream, I smiled at the ripples as they distorted my reflection.

"Uzumaki Naruko." I repeated her name to myself, "Just you wait, we're gonna do great things together; _I_ pinky promise."


End file.
